Feeding mechanism for sewing machines



Dec. 7, 1954 c. R. ODERMANN FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 30, 1952 R m m m WmvEss WWW Charles Rfldev'mann ATTORNE'Y Dec. 7, 1954 c. R. ODERMANN 2,696,130

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed on. so. 1952 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

CharlesRfldermann WHNESS= BY ATTORNEY Dec. 7, 1954 c. R. ODERMANN FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 30, 1952 INVENTOR. mun/Les R'fldermann WITNESS A TTORNFY United States Patent 2,696,180 FEEDING MECHANISM F OR SEWING MACHINES Charles R. Odermann, Milford, Conn, assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 30, 1952, Serial No. 317,726

Claims. (Cl. 112-214) This invention relates to sewing machines and more particularly to a work-feeding mechanism, the construction and arrangement of which is especially well adapted for installation in a sewing machine as an auxiliary workfeeding device.

It is an object of this invention to provide a workfeeding mechanism which is inexpensive to manufacture and to install on an existing sewing machine.

It is also an object to provide a driving connection between the actuating mechanism of a sewing machine and an auxiliary work-feeding mechanism, and a simple and economical supporting structure for the components of the driving connections, whereby very large tolerances in the sizes and locations of the parts of the feeding mechanism may be satisfactorily accommodated.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following specification and the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention and in which:

Fig. 1 is a rear elevational view partly in section, of a sewing machine having my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the sewing machine of Fig. l, and

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the auxiliary work-feedingrnechanism of my invention is illustrated as applied to a chain-stitch sewing machine of the type disclosed in the U. S. patents of Zeier, No. 2,482,079 dated September 13, 1949, and No. 2,329,681, dated September 14, 1943. These patents may be referred to for a more detailed description than will be given here of thosefeatures of the sewing machine which do not relate directly to the present invention.

The sewing machine of the preferred embodiment comprises the usual frame including a bed having a worksupporting surface 11 from which depend side walls 12, 13 and transverse partition walls 14, 15 and 16. A vertical standard 17 which rises from the bed, supports a bracket-arm 18 terminating in a head 19.

A main shaft 20 is journaled in the bracket-arm and is provided with a balance wheel 21 which is driven by belt 22 from any suitable power source. The main shaft 20 extends into the sewing head 19, at which point operative connections are provided between the shaft and a needle bar (not shown). The mechanism in the bracketarm and sewing head is preferably constructed and arranged in accordance with the disclosure in the above referred to Zeier Patent No. 2,329,681.

Journaled longitudinally of the bed in the transverse partition walls 14 and 15 is a bed shaft 24 which is driven from the main shaft 20 by means of a sprocket wheel 25 and belt 26. As shown and described in the Zeier Patent No. 2,482,079, the bed-shaft, at its forward extremity is operatively connected to actuate a looper carrier 27 for one or more thread-carrying loopers (not shown). The bed shaft 24 is also operatively connected to drive a loop spreader mechanism 28, a looper thread controlling mechanism indicated generally as 29, and a four motion work-feeding mechanism indicated generally as 30.

The auxiliary work-feeding mechanism of the present invention comprises a pair of opposed work-engaging rollers 33 and 34, preferably each formed of a resilient material such as rubber or the like. Roller 33 is driven and is secured to a feed roller driving shaft 35 which is arranged parallel to the bed-shaft 24 and is rotatably 2,696,180 Patented Dec. 7, 1954 journaled in aligned shaft accommodating bores 36, 37 and 38 of spaced bearing brackets 39, 40 and 41 respectively. Each of the bearing brackets is fixed to the bed side wall 12 by means of locating pins 42-42 and fastening screws 43-43. The shaft 35 is positioned lengthwise in the bearing brackets by means of retaining collars 44-44 fast on the shaft and disposed one on each side of the bearing-bracket 37. Continuous rotary motion is imparted to the shaft 35 and driven feed roller 33 in timed relation with the operation of the sewing machine by means of a gearing connection with bed-shaft 24 which will be hereinafter described in detail.

Feed roller 34 is an idler roller which is freely journaled for rotation in a bifurcated frame 45 secured to the lower extremity of a support-bar 46. The support bar is slidable in vertically spaced lugs 47-48 of a bracket 49 which is secured to the head 19 of the machine frame. Fast on the supporting bar 46 is a collar 50 formed with an abutment stud 51 which is arranged to overlie a cam member 52 carried by a lifting lever 53. The lifting lever is pivoted to the bracket 49 and serves to lift the idler feed-roller 34 away from the driven roller 33 at the will of the machine operator to facilitate introduction and removal of the work. A coil-spring 54 arranged on the support bar 46 between the collar 50 and an adjusting cap 55 which is threaded into the bracket lug 48, serves to bias the idler roller 34 downwardly into operative position.

A continuous driving connection is provided between the parallel bed-shaft 24 and feed-roller driving shaft 35 by means of a cross shaft whose axis is disposed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the parallel shafts. A worm 61 fast on the bed shaft 24 is arranged in mesh with a worm-wheel 62 carried at one end of the cross-shaft and a worm 63 fast on the opposite end of the cross shaft is disposed in mesh with a worm wheel 64 carried by the feed roller driving shaft 35. The specific gearing arrangement of the preferred embodiment is chosen to provide a favorable speed reduction between the bed shaft, which makes one rotation for each stitchforming cycle, and the driven feed roller which must be rotated only a small fraction of a revolution at each stitch such that the peripheral movement during each stitch matches closely the length of the stitch being formed.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 3, a work-supporting cover plate 65 is secured over gearing brackets 40 and 41 to protect the work from entanglement with the actuating mechanism of the auxiliary feed mechanism. The cover plate 65 overlies the feed roller driving shaft 35 and is formed with an arched portion 65 which overlies the worm wheel 64.

The cross-shaft 60 is journaled in a shaft accommodating bore 66 formed in a bearing member 67. The bearing member 67 is provided with a flanged portion 68, one side of which is formed with a flat surface 69 arranged in a plane substantially parallel with the cross-shaft accommodating bore 66.

In order to support the cross-shaft in a plane perpendicular to the parallel arranged bed shaft 24 and feed roller driving shaft 35, the bracket 41 is formed with a flat surface 70 which defines a locating seat disposed in plane perpendicular to the feed-roller driving shaft accommodating bore 38 of the bracket 41.

As shown in the drawings, the flat surface 69 of the bearing member 67 is disposed in contact with the flat locating surface 70 of the bracket 41. Preferably, the bearing member 67 is clamped in position on the bracket 41 by means of two relatively large headed clamp screws 71-71 which pass through clearance apertures 72-72 formed in the flanged portion 67 of the bearing member and are secured in threaded holes 73-73 formed in the bracket 41. It will be apparent, however, that the scope of the present invention comprehends the use of any suitable clamp by which the bearing member may be locked in selected position against the locating surface 76 of the bracket 41.

The clearance apertures 72-72, together with the arrangement of the locating surfaces 69 and 70, provide for a limited range of universal adjustment of the position of the bearing member 67 and thus the cross shaft 60 within the predetermined plane perpendicular to the shafts 24 and 35. By means of this construction, the meshing relation between the worm and worm-wheel gearin connections at each end of the cross shaft may be adjusted accurately and conveniently. Such adjustment is accomplished simply by loosening the clamp screws '7l7ll, manually adjusting the gears to a position of suitable meshing relation, and tightening the clamp screws. With this construction shafts, bearings and gears having large tolerances may be accommodated satisfactorily With consequent economy of manufacture and assembly. The adaptability of the present invention to the use of gears having a wide range of tolerances is advantageous not only in original manufacture but also from the standpoint of compensation for wear during use of the machine and because of the ease with which replacement parts having slightly different tolerances than the original parts may be accommodated.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, What I claim herein is:

1. in a sewing machine having stitch-forming instrumentalities and work-advancing mechanism including pposed feed rollers supported by said sewing machine adjacent said stitch-forming instrumentalities, an actuating shaft journaled in said sewing machine and operatively connected with said stitch-forming instrumentalities, a drive-shaft for at least one of said opposed feed rollers rotatably supported on said sewing machine, a cross-shaft, meshing gear connections between said actuating shaft and one extremity of said cross-shaft and between the opposite extremity of said cross-shaft and said feed drive shaft, means supporting said, cross-shaft for selective clearance adjustment of one or both of said gearing connections, said means comprising a bracket fixed to said sewing machine, said bracket having a flat locating surface formed thereon, a bearing member having a cross-shaft accommodating bore therein and a flat locating surface formed thereon defining a plane parallel to said cross-shaft accommodating bore, said bearing member and bracket being arranged with said flat l0- cating surfaces disposed in abutting relation with each other, and clamp means adapted to secure said bearing member in selected position with respect to said bracket.

2. In a sewing machine having stitch-forming instrumentalities and work-advancing mechanism including opposed feed-rollers supported by said sewing machine adjacent said stitch-forming instrumentalities, two substantially coplanar shafts journaled for rotation in said sewing machine, operative connections between one of said shafts and said stitch-forming instrumentalities, means operatively connecting the other of said shafts with said driven feed-roller, a cross-shaft arranged transversely of said coplanar shafts, meshing gear connections arranged between said cross-shaft and each of said coplanar shafts, and means supporting said cross-shaft for adjustment in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane containing tthe axes of said coplanar shafts, said means comprising, a bracket fixed to said sewing machine, said bracket having a flat surface formed thereon defining a plane perpendicular to said coplanar shafts, a bearing member having a cross shaft accommodating bore therein, said bearing member having a flat surface formed thereon defining a plane parallel to said cross shaft accommodating bore, said bearing member and bracket being arranged with said flat surfaces disposed in contact with each other, and clamp means adapted to secure said bearing member to said bracket.

3. In a sewing machine having stitch-forming instrunientalities and a work-advancing feed-roller, an actuating shaft journaled in said sewing machine, driving connections between said shaft and said stitch-forming instrumentalities, a feed-roller driving shaft, a bracket fixed to said sewing machine, said bracket having a feedroller driving shaft accommodating bore formed therein parallel to said actuating shaft, and a flat seat formed on said bracket defining a plane perpendicular to said feed-roller driving shaft accommodating bore, a bearing member clamped to said flat seat for limited universal adjustment thereon in the plane defined by said seat, a cross-shaft journaled in said bearing member and arranged parallel to the plane defined by said bracket seat, and gearing connections arranged between said actuating shaft and said cross shaft and between said crossshaft and said feed-roller driving shaft.

4. In a sewing machine having stitch-forming instrumentalities and a work-advancing feed-roller, an actuating shaft journaled in said sewing machine, driving connections between said shaft and said stitchforrning instrumentalities, a feed-roller driving shaft carried by said sewing machine parallel to said actuating shaft, a bracket member fixed to said sewingmachine and having a flat seat formed thereon defining a plane perpendicular to said shafts, a bearing member having a shaft accommodating bore, said bearing member formed with a fiat locating surface arranged parallel to said shaft accommodating bore and disposed against the flat seat formed on said bracket member, a cross-shaft journaled in the bore of said bearing member, gearing connections between said actuating shaft and said cross-shaft ar ranged at one side of said bearing member, gearing connections between said cross shaft and said feed-roller driving shaft at the other side of said bearing member, and a bolt securing said bearing member to said bracket member, one of said members being formed with a clearance aperture for said bolt and the other of said members formed with an aperture which is threaded to accommodate said bolt.

5. In a sewing machine having a frame including a bed formed with a work-supporting plate and a side wall depending from said work-supporting plate, stitch-forming instiumentalities and a rotary actuating shaft for said stitch-forming instrumentalities journaled beneath said work-supporting plate, a work-advancing feed-roller, a drive shaft operatively connected with said feed-roller and arranged parallel to said actuating shaft, a bracket secured to the depending side wall of said bed, said bracket formed with a feed-roller driving shaft accommodating bore, driving connections between said actuating shaft and said feed roller drive shaft, comprising, a shaft arranged transversely of said feed-roller drive shaft and said actuating shaft, meshing gear connections between each of said parallel shafts and said transverse shaft, and means supporting said transverse shaft for selective adjustment of one or both of said meshing gear connections, said means comprising a bearing member arranged toernbrace said transverse shaft, said bracket formed with a locating seat defining a plane perpendicular to said parallel shafts, and clamp means adapted to secure said bearing member in selected position against said locating seat.

References Cited in the-file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,267,059 Cole May 21, 1918 1,406,984 Horton Feb. 21, 1922 2,109,033 Ransome Feb. 22, 1938 2,193,754 Andres et a1 Mar. 12, 1940 2,470,502 Vesconte et a1 May 17, 1949 

